I am writing in disgust at the way my 84-year-old mother was treated on the 82 bus from Birżebbuġa to Valletta on May 20.

She boarded the 9.20am bus and sat in the ‘priority for the elderly’ seats but was told that area was only for pushchairs.

A lady with a pushchair got on at the next stop near the church and the driver made my mother move to the high seat with steps at the front of the bus, ridiculous at her age.

The lady with the pushchair then sat in her seat.

When the lady with the pushchair got off, my mother tried to get down from the high seat because she was not comfortable and she asked the driver where she could sit. At this the driver shouted at her to “just go and sit down”.

I am appalled that an old woman can be bullied and treated with such disrespect on a public bus. What has happened to their customer service and customer care values?

“Serving our community. We are determined to deliver the highest quality service possible in Malta and Gozo. Customers and their experiences are at the heart of our service...”

This was certainly not the case for my mother. Never in the 25 years of living in Malta and using the buses almost daily have we ever encountered such disrespect to the elderly. I can only hope that no one else will ever be treated like this on a Malta Public Transport Services bus.